Stair construction for plastic liner swimming pools

ABSTRACT

The specification describes a stair for a plastic liner type swimming pool. The stair is preformed from rigid p1astic and may have anti-slip patterns formed on the treads. The stair is installed in a recess in the pool wall from supports which suspend the stair free standing with respect to the pool liner. The supports are pipes or the like, extending from the lateral walls of the recess through water-tight fittings.

United States Patent 11 1 v Boassy July 10, 1973 1 STAIR CONSTRUCTION FOR PLASTIC LINER SWIMMING POOLS [75] Inventor: Emil J. Boassy, Berkeley Heights,

[73] Assignee: Champion, Inc, Scotch Plains, NJ.

[22] Filed: June 9, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 261,532

[52] U.S. Cl 52/184, 4/172, 52/169 [51] Int. Cl E0411 3/16 [58] Field of Search 52/169, 182, 184;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,478,370 11/1969 Stern 4/172 SAND Primary Examiner.lohn E. Murtagh Attorney-Peter Van Dyke Wilde [57] ABSTRACT The specification describes a stair for a plastic liner type swimming pool. The stair is preformed from rigid plastic and may have anti-slip patterns formed on the treads. The stair is installed in a recess in the pool wall from supports which suspend the stair free standing with respect to the pool liner. The supports are pipes or the like, extending from the lateral walls of the recess through water-tight fittings.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures POOL LINER WWI/WW 7 PATENTEU L 1 (H975 3.744.198

WINE

FIG.

POOL LINER 26 SAND PATENTEU Jun 0 913 mauve FIG. 3

STAIR CONSTRUCTION FOR PLASTIC LINER SWIMMING POOLS This invention relates to swimming pools and more specifically to the provision of steps for access into swimming pools that are constructed with plastic liners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the construction of steps for plastic liner pools it has become the custom to mold the steps into the sidewall prior to installing the liner and then to install a liner that is made to conform to the shape of the stepped sidewall. There are several serious drawbacks to this construction technique. The liner must be fitted carefully to the stepped surface. Typically the liner is fixed to the sidewall at each comer where the tread and riser meet. This is often accomplished by providing a sleeve in the lining extending along the corner, inserting a rod through the sleeve and anchoring the rod in the sidewall. If the sidewall is concrete, or a similar type of casting material, the rod is typically anchored during casting. Once the material is cured the liner is not easily removed and repair or replacement of the liner normally requires that the steps be reconstructed. In any type of construction where the liner is affixed to the steps by means exterior to the liner, repair of the liner is very inconvenient.

Moreover, this type of step design encourages defects in the plastic pool liner at points of high stress. The edge of the step is usually the only re-entrant corner in the pool structure. Those familiar with the effect of pedestrian traffic on the wear behavior of carpeting will appreciate the maintenance problems for pool liners used with this kind of step construction. Furthermore, the liner is not rigid and is free to move due to stretching or slack with respect to the underlying step. The underlying step is usually rough as in the case'of concrete. This movement causes abrasion and additional wear on the bottom of the liner. 2

Finally, if the liner is not assiduously cleaned, it tends to become slick, producing a safety hazard for pool-users.

' According to the invention the aforementioned difficulties are overcome at least in part by providing a preformed, rigid, self-standing, molded plastic stair within the pool interior and interior of the pool liner. It is not sufficient to simply place a stair in the pool so as to bear directly on the pool liner because the pool liner is fragile and will develop defects at the bearing points. To do this would not overcome the liner maintenence problems encountered with conventional step construction. However, a stair assembly can be used inside the pool liner by employing the stair support concepts that form the basis for this invention. It is necessary for the stair to be free standing with respect to the pool liner.

To accomplish this according to the invention at least one sidewall of the pool is provided with a recessed portion. Such pool shapes are conventional, e.g., that known as a Roman End pool. The important feature of this recessed portion as it affects the stair construction of this invention is that it provides conveniently spaced wall surfaces from which a portion of the stair can be suspended. These wall surfaces can be parallel, or converging up to an angle of 90 in a trapezoidal plan configuration. The stair itself, which is formed of rigid, self-sustaining plastic, or aluminum, is hung from supports on the aforesaid parallel or converging sidewalls of the recess. The vital feature is that the stair can be suspended free standing with respect to the pool liner.

These and other aspects of the invention will become evident from the following detailed description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one end of a pool incorporating a stair assembly in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section through 22 of FIG. 1 showing the detail of the stair and the stair suspension means;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recess in the pool endwall (or sidewall) with the stair removed showing the stair support means; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view in perspective showing the detailed construction of an exemplary support member.

Referring to FIG. 1, an end portion of a typical swimming pool is shown, with a recessed portion 10 formed in the sidewall 11. This type of pool design is known in the art as a Roman End" pool with steps typically provided in the recess. The recess portion 10 includes three sidewall sections 12, 13 and 14. The walls 12 and 14 are important to the invention and extend, in this exemplary design, at an angle of 60 from parallel. This arrangement is esthetically pleasing, but any desired angle, from 0 to can be chosen, i.e., the walls can extend parallel or perpendicular to one another, or at any intermediate angle. If the walls diverge from one another at an angle greater than 90 it becomes difficult to suspend the stair and still achive the objectives of the invention.

The stair 15 is affixed to the end section 13 of the recess 10 at a point near the top of the sidewall, preferably above the planned waterline of the pool. The advantage of the latter is that the support means does not necessarily extend through the pool liner or, if it does, the opening through the liner is not an important side of leakage. The remainder of the stair 15 is supported free standing with respect to the interior pool surface and the pool liner via support members on the sidewall sections 12 and 14. The stair design and the support means are evident in FIGS. 2-4. FIG. 2 is a section through 2-2 of FIG. 1 and shows a side view of the stair 15. The stair is'supported from pipe nipples 20 and .21 that protrude from the sidewalls as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recess in sidewall l l with the stair removed and shows additional support pipe nipples 22 and 23 extending from sidewall section 14.

One of the support members 20 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 4. This is an exploded view showing the water-tight fitting between the pipe nipple 20 and its associated sidewall 12. The pipe is capped at 31 and is threaded into fitting 32. The threaded fitting 32 is bolted into sidewall 12. The pool liner is shown at 33 coveringthe sidewall panel 12 and the opening is made water-tight by gaskets 34 and 35. The assembly is bolted together through faceplate 36 by bolts 37.

These particular pipe' support fittings are conventionally used for pool inlets and drains and thus are available as standard equipment. However, his obvious that a variety of support means can be used, such as hooks, brackets, etc. It'is important in each case that the opening in thepool liner through which the support means extends is made water-tight.

Referring to FIG. 2 the stair 15 is shown provided with slots 27 and 28 that are cut out of the end panel of the stair. This is a convenient arrangement if the plastic or other stair material is appropriately selected as to gage and material so as to bear the load and survive the stress and wear. It has been found that reinforced fiberglass with a thickness of three-eighths inch bearing on an aluminum pipe with a diameter of 1% inches is suitable for the design shown. Problems associated with the strength of the slot diminish as the pipe diameter increases and the load becomes more widely distributed.

The design of this portion of the suspending member can be varied within wide limits, including the provision of metal fittings or metal edges for the bearing surfaces.

The stair is shown here with four treads and five risers although it may be designed with any number of steps. It is preferred that a riser 19 be provided at the top of the stair for fixing the stair to the pool sidewall section 13. The top riser of the stair is shown in FIG. 2 as attached to the sidewall section 13 by screw 24 with a trim strip extending along the width of the stair. The attachment is made in this case through the pool liner 26 since the liner is supported by bead and groove (not shown) from the very top of the sidewall near the coping. The attachment may be made water-tight by providing the trim strip with an appropriate gasket.

If it is attractive for the stair to be instantly removable the attachment between the riser l9 and the sidewall can be made with hooks, interlocking channels, etc. However, since the stair will most likely be molded with a substantial dead space beneath thestair it is desirable from a safety aspect to discourage easy lifting of the stair while in place to give access to that space. It will be appreciated that if the stair is not fastened down, it can easilybe lifted, especially when immersed. In the design shown in FIG. 2, the U-shaped slots are designed so that the stair cannot be rotated free of the bar support while the top riser is anchored. This means that once the stair is affixed to the sidewall along the top riser, the lower portion of the stair cannot be lifted, even though the wall attachment may be somewhat flexible, due to the retention of the pipe supports. For this reason it will normally be advantageous to fasten the stair to the sidewall in a semipermanent manner as shown.

Among the disadvantages of conventional step construction, mentioned earlier, is the tendancy of the tread portions to become slippery. The stair of this invention, typically molded inplastic, can be roughened or patterned along the thread surfaces to minimize the slipping hazard. It is convenient to simply form-the mold with the desired tread surface.

It is important that the stair be relatively rigid so that the bottom riser does not bend into contact with the liner of the pool at the pool bottom when the bottom step is exposed to typical loads. A molded plastic stair can incorporate rib structures and other expedients known in the art to increase the strength of the stair without increasing the overall thickness of the plastic shell.

It will be appreciated that the required strength of the stair in terms of allowable deflection of the lower steps under load will depend in part on the stair width. The stair described herein has a width of 106 inches at the bottom step and can support normal loads quite adequately. However, one would expect to encounter problems in extending the stair across widths significantly wider.

In the embodiment shown there are four stairsupport means, Some installations, e.g., those with narrow stairs, will require less support. In such instances it may be adequate to use two support means at the lower end of the stair and rely on the attachment between the top riser and the sidewall to support the upper region of the stair. This attachment can be modified for greater load bearing capability.

Likewise there may be situations that require more than four sidewall support means.

The sidewalls of the recess accommodating the stair can be sloped as long as the stair is suspended without.

wedging into the sidewall. The requirement remains that the stair must be suspended free standing with repsect to the pool liner.

The stair and support arrangement described herein can be used with any liner type pool including those constructed above ground.

Various additional modifications and deviations will occur to those skilled in the art. All such variations that rely basically on the teachings through which this invention has advanced the art are properly considered to be within the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a plastic liner swimming pool that comprises a pool sidewall and a pool floor, a recessed region extending into at least one sidewall, the recessed region comprising two lateral walls extending into the recess at an angle of 0 to to each other, and a water-tight, plastic, pool liner covering the pool sidewall, recess and pool floor,

the invention comprising a stair, the upper portion of which is affixed to the upper part of the recessed region of the sidewall with the lower portion depending into the pool toward the poolfloor, and at least two support means extending from the lateral walls through a water-tight fitting in the pool liner and engaging the stair so as to suspend the stair spaced from the pool liner.

2. The swimming pool of claim 1 in which the top riser of the stair is affixed semipermanently to the sidewall.

3. The swimming pool of claim 1 in which the support means are pipes threaded water-tight into fittings retained in the sidewall.

4. The swimming pool of claim 1 in which the stair is molded of rigid plastic.

5. In a plastic liner swimming pool that comprises a pool sidewall and a pool floor, a recessed region formed into at least one sidewall, and a water-tight plastic liner covering the pool sidewall and floor,

the invention comprising a preformed, molded plastic, rigid, self standing stair, means for attaching semipermanently the top riser of the stair to the' pool sidewall, and support means for suspending the remaining portion of the stair free standing with respect to the pool liner, the support means comprising at'least four pipe sections fixed into and extending from the recessed portion of the sidewall, each of the support means engaging a portion of the stair for support thereof out of bearing contact with the pool liner. 6. The swimming pool of claim 5 in which the pipe sections are aluminum threaded through water-tight fittings into the sidewall.

of the stair engaging at least one of the pipe section comprises a vertically extending, elongated, U-shaped slot, the slot having a width approximating the diameter of the pipe. 

1. In a plastic liner swimming pool that comprises a pool sidewall and a pool floor, a recessed region extending into at least one sidewall, the recessed region comprising two lateral walls extending into the recess at an angle of 0* to 90* to each other, and a water-tight, plastic, pool liner covering the pool sidewall, recess and pool floor, the invention comprising a stair, the upper portion of which is affixed to the upper part of the recessed region of the sidewall with the lower portion depending into the pool toward the pool floor, and at least two support means extending from the lateral walls through a water-tight fitting in the pool liner and engaging the stair so as to suspend the stair spaced from the pool liner.
 2. The swimming pool of claim 1 in which the top riser of the stair is affixed semipermanently to the sidewall.
 3. The swimming pool of claim 1 in which the support means are pipes threaded water-tight into fittings retained in the sidewall.
 4. The swimming pool of claim 1 in which the stair is molded of rigid plastic.
 5. In a plastic liner swimming pool that comprises a pool sidewall and a pool floor, a recessed region formed into at least one sidewall, and a water-tight plastic liner covering the pool sidewall and floor, the invention comprising a preformed, molded plastic, rigid, self standing stair, means for attaching semipermanently the top riser of the stair to the pool sidewall, and support means for suspending the remaining portion of the stair free standing with respect to the pool liner, the support means comprising at least four pipe sections fixed into and extending from the recessed portion of the sidewall, each of the support means engaging a portion of the stair for support thereof out of bearing contact with the pool liner.
 6. The swimming pool of claim 5 in which the pipe sections are aluminum threaded through water-tight fittings into the sidewall.
 7. The swimming pool of claim 6 having four treads and five risers.
 8. The swimming pool of claim 5 in which the treads are patterned to reduce slipping.
 9. The swimming pool of claim 5 in which the portion of the stair engaging at least one of the pipe section comprises a vertically extending, elongated, U-shaped slot, the slot having a width approximating the diameter of the pipe. 